Classic cars, vintage wines, antique furniture. Sometimes, old things can be great. Your website isn’t one of them. When working with clients, we often ask ourselves “Fix the old or start fresh?”. Below is a list of things we look for when making a decision to forgo fixes and do an entire website redesign. How many of these things is your site guilty of?
1. Do Parts of Your Site Show Errors or Fail to Work Properly?
You need your site to work. Outdated technology, broken links and old code can cause portions of your site to fail. If parts of your website don’t work properly, potential customers can quickly become frustrated, leave the site and abandon a sale. Best case, (if you want to call it that) your company just looks bad. Worst case your bottom line could be bleeding dollars.
2. Does Your Site Have Outdated Branding or Company Information?
Your company website is the first real look a potential customer gets at your business. Does your website portray your company as it stands today or as it did 10 years ago? Has your logo changed or your brand been updated? Maybe your blog or news feed has not been updated in the last year or two making your site look stale and neglected. Even worse, are you missing out on potential leads because the address or contact number is old or incorrect? All of these things can influence a buyer’s opinion. If your site has a massive bunch of these piling up, it’s time for a website redesign.
3. Can You Edit The Site When You Need To?
Would it be beneficial if you could update products or content on your own site? No longer does a website need to be maintained by someone with an extensive technical background. Modern content management systems can allow easy updating of content on your site. We like to tell people, “If you can fill out your Facebook profile, you can probably update your product catalog.” If you need to, and can’t update your site. It’s time.
4. Is Your Site Mobile Optimized?
Smartphone use has exploded. In most industries, your site will be viewed more on a mobile device that on a desktop or laptop computer. Quick access to contact information on a mobile device is a must for people on the go. Most importantly, Google now maintains a separate index for mobile websites. What does this mean for you? If your company does not have a mobile website, you will not show up when googling on a mobile device! While an existing site can be retrofitted to be responsive, most likely this will not provide you an ideal user experience.
5. Is Your Site Optimized for SEO?
There’s a number of factors that go into search engine rankings. One of the factors that you have the most control over is on-page optimization. Does your site have the correct HTML tags? Does your site load quickly? Does your site have relative keywords to your industry? All of this helps with higher rankings. If the answer to any of these is no, it may be time or a website redesign. You can’t turn a lead into a customer if they can’t find you.
6. Does the Messaging or Design of Your Website Make You Stand Out?
Outdated and bad design can make your million dollar company look like it’s run out of your mom’s basement. Your company is judged by your brand. Design matters. Design can influence perception, instill trust and foster connection to your brand. Not only should the design look good, but the messaging should match as well. Even though a picture says 1000 words, the web is still 90% text. Your message should speak to your potential customers, positioning you to solve their needs. If your visuals and text aren’t on point, it’s time for a something new.
7. Is Your Site Easy To Buy From?
User experience is an often overlooked as part of the website development process. If a potential customer can’t find what they want on your site quickly and easily, they most likely will someplace else. Your site should be an ever-narrowing funnel that feeds targeted prospects to you. If your site is hard to navigate or does not provide a clear path to action for leads to become customers, it’s definitely time for a refresh.
If your site hits 3-4 points on this list, it is probably beyond saving. While there are valid reasons for trying to refurbish an old site in order to make it new again, often it’s easier to start new. Either way, let DOJO Creative guide you through the experience. Email or give us a call at 574-276-4998 for a free consultation.